


Stamped Kisses

by InfinityMars



Category: Dear Sidewalk (2013)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-05-02 11:12:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19197595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfinityMars/pseuds/InfinityMars
Summary: Gardner Langway is someone who enjoys routine. Being a mail carrier provides stability and peace in an otherwise unconventional life. When a single mom with a young daughter along his route attracts his eye, Gardner is faced with the possibility that perhaps his life could afford a little more excitement.





	1. Moving In

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BrightShiningAsTheSun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightShiningAsTheSun/gifts).



> I love our soft hearted mail carrier with my entire being. I'm not sure how many chapters this will be, but have a lot of ideas to try out. Gardner deserves nothing but love and validation, and I'm going to give it to him.

The United States Postal Service processes well over 154 billion pieces of mail annually, and Gardner Langway walks over nine miles a day to cover his mail route without fail: “neither rain, nor sleet, nor dark of night shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” The tread of his shoes were beginning to wear thin--the second pair he’d gone through in the past eight months alone--almost walking the length of the Earth once so far over the course of his career, all while never leaving his hometown. He was inordinately proud of this fact. 

No one knew the local sidewalk quite like him, its ridges and grooves telling a story that only he cared to listen to. He watched cracks widen like lightning strikes for weeds to peek through the path, spider web splinters filled with concrete ready to trip unsuspecting daydreamers.Yesterday’s rain had washed away the chalk drawing murals alongside the steps to the local library, christening the sidewalk anew as his feet met the familiar route he walked nearly every day.

He had a certain way of doing things. After waking up he swiftly dressed and walked out of his boat to eat breakfast with his brother Calvin, who insisted on food more substantial than burnt toast, and he made his way to work. The post office was always quiet in the morning hours, and if others complained about the early start, well then Gardner enjoyed the blossoming sunrise in their stead. He’d sit on the old neglected metal bench in front of the office and breathe in the dewy air, letting the calm embrace him in gentle waves. It was a sensation he craved as he went about his daily life, wishing he could bottle that feeling when his thoughts became dark. 

Walking inside he was bombarded by his coworkers betting on the time he would come into work, laughing at his predictable nature. None of them noticed that he sat undisturbed in front of the office before starting work, and he wasn’t inclined to tell anyone about it either. That was his spot, letting him relax for a moment when he couldn’t be at the lake. 

“It’s my 25th birthday this month,” he said as way of greeting his friends. They all winced and looked at him sympathetically. He didn’t understand why they were so concerned.

“Oh, that’s rough buddy,” Linda said with a wince. “You’re staring down the barrel of the rest of your life.”

“What’s wrong with that? It’s no different than 24.”

“Now that’s where you’re wrong. 25 isn’t much of a difference, sure, but then the next thing you know you’re 30 and life’s slipping through your fingers, paying child support and too broke to own a car,” Strawberry grumbled. “But 25, that’s that poem with the two roads there, kid.”

“You need to put yourself out there with the ladies, and chase after that reward.”

“You’re just talking about yourself, hun,” Linda cackled, everyone at the table jumping into conversation about their younger years.

No one noticed when Gardner left the room to begin sorting his mail orders for the day, a pinch between his brows the only indication that he was upset with what the others were thinking. He liked where he was in life and didn’t want that to change. Ever since he was 18 the USPS gave him stability, a core group of friends, and an outlet for a hobby he was passionate about. 

What was there to change?

Getting absorbed in his work sufficiently alleviated his mind, stacks of white paper and heavy boxes demanding his undivided attention. At least this time the mail wasn’t blank like it was in his dream last night.

He knew his carrier route better than he knew himself. The city of Austin was the familiar ache in his calves after a hard day and the calluses on his hands from carrying boxes around: it was the colorful mailboxes dotting the lane with cheerful abandon and dogs who greeted him with wagging tails and lolling tongues ready to lick his shoes. 

Gardner barely spoke with anyone as he worked, his faithful watch keeping him on time. As he walked to the entrance of the retirement home midway through his shift, residents greeted him warmly at the wall of mailboxes standing proudly by the door; if he showed up two minutes early or ten minutes late, residents jokingly admonished him. He would take the gentle ribbing in good fun, his cheeks pink and fingers impatiently twitching on the door handle towards freedom. Most of them didn’t remember his name, but he was fine with being saddled by anonymity.

His friends didn’t share his sentiments. They missed the days when people would speak with them in the streets, but Gardner thought that just invited trouble.

Servicing three hundred households along his route, Gardner tried not to interact with anyone. For the most part that wasn’t a problem. No one was ever upset to see their local mail carrier, and this complicated his stalwart conviction on the rare occasion when people tried to chat with him or worse, engage in small talk. If they saw him walking customers would jokingly ask if he had a check for them, which he always found puzzling.

“As a general rule, we don’t know what’s in the mail. I don’t know what I’m giving you, ” he’d say although that wasn’t 100% true. He knew more than most residents thought.

During the holidays last year he knew almost everyone on the block was getting an Instapot for Christmas. He knew that Hannah Milton at the red house on Elm Street enjoyed Cosmopolitan magazines at age 75 and Gary Shulman down the street subscribed to an heirloom seed club that flourished in his front garden every summer. He knew that Mrs. Entwhistle was four months behind on her cheese-of-the-month membership and Allen Banks was really into reading periodicals. 

Not that any of them would ever know this, as he did his best to keep a professional distance around civilians. He didn’t always succeed, however.

It was when things change on his route that his days always begin to go wrong, like the time a dog chased him 1000 feet down the sidewalk when his owners put him off his leash. The Golden Retriever was only medium sized, but it ripped a large gash in his pants all the way to his royal blue boxers. He had to take the day off after that incident, which only made it worse.

He had just finished visiting with Trudy when he happened upon the house with the yellow door. Boxes littered the yard and a moving truck was parked in front of the driveway. The home belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Galloway, retired literature teachers from the local community college. He didn’t remember anyone in the office alerting him to a change of address. He’d have to ask his supervisor about it after work.

Gardner deeply sighed and opened the door to the white picket fence, dodging boxes and baubles up to the front door as he went. He had a stack of mail addressed to Mrs. Galloway and intended to put it in the mounted mailbox when he was intercepted by a little girl looking up at him through her bangs on the other side of the screen door. With springy brunette curls and large doe eyes, she didn’t say anything as she stared. 

A loud voice came from further in the house asking for the girl effectively breaking whatever stupor Gardner was in. He dropped the mail off and turned to leave when he was stopped once again.

“Hello Mr. Postman!” His foot froze on the pavement, and he reluctantly turned around. He was so surprised that he didn’t correct her title for him, pleased by what he saw on the other side of the door. 

A woman around his age waited on the porch. With chocolate waves the same warm color of her eyes, she was pretty in a way that Gardner appreciated as she stood in front of him in paint splattered overalls over a t shirt as bright as the door of the house. As they stood a moment longer, he realized that the little girl peeking from behind her was the woman’s tiny doppelganger. They were adorable together as they looked at him expectantly. 

“I guess I’m your new patron,” she teased, her lilting voice coy even as she wiped the sweat from her brow with a handkerchief from her back pocket. 

“D-did the Galloways move? They haven’t forwarded their address.”

“Kind of. Eva and Jonathan are my parents. I’m their youngest daughter Sophie Galloway. They retired to a little slice of paradise and left me their home for me and my daughter Layla,” she explained as she gave him her hand to shake. He did so hesitantly, trying to rein in the shiver that went down his spine at the unexpected touch. Her explanation made sense to him, but they really should have informed the post office first. “Say hi to the man who delivers the mail, Layla. I’m sorry, but what should we call you?”

“I’m Gardner, and I really should finish my mail--”

The little girl came out from behind her mother’s legs.

“Mail?” She asked curiously. She heaved in an excited breath after looking at Gardner for a moment. “Stamps? You give me stamps!”

She shrieked with joy before leaving her mother to throw herself into Gardner’s legs. She hugged him, small hands clinging onto his shirt with joy. The startled look he directed at the little body attached to him made Sophie chortle at her daughter’s antics.

“I’m so sorry! I should have mentioned she gets really excited when we get mail. She loves stamps and knows the postman brings us letters. She rips them all off and keeps all the stamps we can find like a scavenger hunt,” Sophie explained. “Sometimes my parents send her letters just so she can open her own mail.”

Gardner’s eyes widened in surprise. That is, without a doubt, one of the sweetest things he has ever heard. Layla stepped back from him and grabbed onto her mom’s hand, suddenly feeling shy again now that she calmed down. 

Gardner glanced at his watch and noted the time. Sophie saw him hesitate and grip his saddle bag more firmly.

“I have to leave to finish my route, but it was...nice to meet you. Welcome to the neighborhood,” he said with a small grin. “To change your parent’s address you can do it online or go to our post office and request a Mover's Guide packet. Inside the packet is PS Form 3575. That should set you straight.”

“Thanks Gardner. I’m sure I’ll see you around. I don’t want to keep you from your work after all. Maybe in the next few days I can bring Layla with me to go and get the address change done at your office. If she’s good maybe we can buy some stamps before going home,” she said appreciatively, directing a fond smile at her daughter’s head resting against her hip.

Gardner continued his route with a spring in his step. Unlike when he's dragged to the bar by Calvin and forced to engage in nightmarish small talk with perfect strangers, he meant what he said. Sophie and her little girl brightened his day in a way he didn't expect.

Maybe talking with civilians wasn’t all bad.


	2. Tea Parties And Contemplation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gardner isn't quite sure of what to do when anomalies in his routine make him worry about the future, but one hug from an excitable little girl makes him realize that change doesn't necessarily mean that the world is going to collapse onto the sidewalk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the newest chapter! I hope you like it. I just adore writing Gardner's perspective.
> 
> Song rec: "Sunny Afternoon" by The Kinks

Mail carriers tend to get used to “mapping” their route in their brain, and Gardner was no exception to this phenomenon. He could navigate the winding path of uninterrupted Austin sidewalk without faltering while still looking down at the mail, names and addresses swirling around him like the wind that accompanied the unbridled sunshine on his back. 

When he spied the name Galloway in his pile, his heart sped up as he remembered Sophie’s bright smile and her daughter’s childish squeal when he brought the mail to their house the first day they met. The giddy feeling almost made him stumble into Mrs. Fraser's roses.

His new patrons weren’t new to the neighborhood necessarily-- he was pretty sure Sophie went to his high school way back when-- but on his route they gave him something to look forward to near the end of his shift. He didn’t care if he’d see them again (no, really) but he also wouldn’t complain if he did. They were a cute family pair who enjoyed getting their mail; he didn’t have many requirements for friends but those were major checks on his list. 

Walking up to Trudy’s door to see his friend during his break, he was welcomed by her doorbell growling at him to discourage solicitors from bothering her. She quickly turned off the speaker and moved to greet him with an unlit cigarette dangling from her mouth. She put it in her pocket knowing Gardner didn’t like the smell of smoke; it reminded him of his father and never failed in making him nauseous. She didn’t want to do that to him.

The first thing she noted after greeting her friend properly was that Gardner seemed distracted.

“Why’re you starin’ off into space? Got a hot date later that I don’t know about?”

“No, aside from you you know I try to avoid human contact. I’m just thinking about the new owners of the yellow door house down the lane. I met them a while ago,” he mused. “Hey, did you know the Galloways?”

“Oh, those hippies? Yeah, I knew them a little bit. Met their daughters once or twice when I was a teacher. Why?”

“No reason. Their daughter Sophie owns the house now. She’s got a daughter too...she’s pretty... nice--I mean, they’re nice.”

“Oh, Sophie, huh? You got a crush?” Trudy teased. The ribbing from his snarky friend made his ears blush from embarrassment. He shook his head without saying anything, her answering cackle expected and unwelcome as he scowled playfully in her direction.

Being handed safety glasses with little fanfare, Gardner put them on over his sun hat. With a cry of triumph Trudy’s Estes Flash Model Rocket shot into the sky before falling back to the Earth in a pitiful arc. Huffing in frustration, she sunk into her outdoor folding chair indigently. That would be the last time she bought a rocket from E bay. 

“Was it supposed to do that?” Gardner snorted, fizz from the soda Trudy gave him almost coming out of his nose. 

“Nope.”

“Better luck next time then. Hey, was that the one I delivered to you the other day?”

“Yeah, dammit. Maybe you’re bad luck.”

“You love me, don’t deny it.”

“Ah, get out of here. Go eat your lunch in peace, mail boy.”

Sitting down at his bench overlooking Lady Bird Lake, Gardner was faced with a small dilemma. Does he greet Sophie if he sees her in town, or does he deliver their mail and continue on like nothing happened and keep his distance from the civilians? He even caught himself looking at cute little stamps Layla might like with princesses and animals on them.

His eyes drifted down to contemplate the watch on his wrist. He was exactly on time and the Galloways were located near the end of his route, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he stopped to chat, right? The thought of disrupting his routine threatened to short circuit synapses firing panic signals all over his body.

If he didn’t stick to the routine that provided everything for him what was he going to do? People depended on him to deliver their mail. Would something like developing an interest for someone else snowball into an issue that he couldn’t control?

Everyone kept telling him to put himself out there. He didn’t think his relationship status was going to change anytime soon despite what anyone said. Maybe he should dip his toe in the water as long as he could see the bottom. Calvin kept telling him to bring someone to the bar and play skee ball with them. The opportunity to enjoy a beer without trying to avoid awkward eye contact with the chatty bartender was awfully tempting. 

Packing away his lunch box and standing to resume work, he resolved to let it be for the moment. With a heavy sigh, he mentally told himself that he couldn’t anticipate someone else’s actions any better than his own. Beginning his walk along Auditorium Shores, he contented himself with thoughts of Calvin’s dinner plans for the night and reading a new book about postal history he just checked out. 

Every day since Sophie met him she’s clocked the time that Gardner walks off the path to their porch, gently nudging Layla to the screen door to greet her new favorite person besides the local librarian, a matronly woman named Doris who “adopted” them like wayward ducklings the moment they applied for a membership card. 

Without fail her daughter would wave at him and ask if he had any mail to give her. After they met Sophie had to explain to Layla that not everyone liked to be hugged without permission first; she saw how he flinched the first time and didn’t want to make him uncomfortable of Layla’s affections. She was proud that her baby girl took that to heart, her little hands bunched in determination when she promised to ask Gardner first before she hugged him. 

Every day Layla would ask Gardner if she could hug him and he would stutter and flush prettily as Sophie watched them interact. He never said no, hesitation waning in the wake of their kindness. No one besides Calvin was ever that excited to see him. It was a good feeling, like how he felt when someone complimented his stamp collection. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, the validation made him feel like what he was doing with his life was worthwhile.

The scene that greeted Gardner at the Galloway residence past the fence was an interesting one. Layla was sitting at a small table on the front lawn, legs swinging happily as she laughed at something her mother was saying. The eggshell blue dress she wore was smeared with jam, unnoticed by the little girl who shot him a sunny smile as he approached.

“Gardner! You’re finally here!” Layla squealed. She jumped from her chair and ran over to stop right in front of him. “Can I hug you?”

He was wary of the spilled food on her dress dirtying his uniform but gave in at the pleading look in her eyes. Carefully leaning down, he opened his arms to Layla and let her hug him around the middle. She let him go and took his arm to bring him over to her mother. He could easily pull from her grip, but didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

“Mom, he came just like you said he would! Can he join the party?” 

“I don’t know Layla. Did you ask him if he wanted to?” Sophie questioned, her tone conveying that she wanted her daughter to think about her actions. Layla furrowed her brow, her hand tightening on Gardner’s before she let him go and turned to face him.

“Do you wanna join our tea party? Mom just made some tea.”

He thought about the tick of his watch on his suddenly heavy wrist and the rest of the mail in his satchel to be delivered. He couldn’t stay that long without disrupting his schedule more than it already was. But his mind was stuck on just one fact: she had been waiting for him?

Before he realized he found himself sitting at the table beside Sophie, his legs awkwardly cramped in the small chair. With a satisfied grin, Layla began chattering about a stamp with a pretty sunset she just got with Gardner and he hummed and nodded his head at all the right times, actively engaging with the energetic five-year-old in the best way he knew how. 

Despite his best efforts, Layla quickly got distracted by telling a story to the stuffed dinosaur sitting in the chair next to her, the plastic rainbow wand in her hand in imminent danger of tipping over the plate of snacks on the table. Both of the adults watched her for a moment, content in the silence between them.

“ Layla kept going on and on about having you at her tea party. She wanted to invite the librarian too, but I had to let her down gently on that one. She really likes you,” Sophie said to him. She handed him a tea cup filled with red liquid. “Don’t worry, it’s just fruit punch. I don’t think Layla is quite ready for tea yet. We watched “Alice In Wonderland” yesterday and she fell a bit in love with the story and the Mad Hatter.” 

Gardner took a sip of the drink in his hand, idly watching the front sidewalk as people ambled past the yard. It was weird for him to be on this side of the fence, like an unfamiliar itch between his shoulder blades that he couldn’t quite scratch. His front yard with Calvin was never so busy or alive with laughter.

“Thank you so much for doing this. I know we’re keeping you from work. I think Layla really appreciates having a guy in her life who cares about the stuff she's interested in, even if it’s for just a couple of minutes,” Sophie murmured.

“Is her dad around?” Gardner asked, immediately regretting what he said after seeing the upset downturn of Sophie’s lips. She wet her lips before speaking, making it a point to whisper quietly so Layla didn't overhear. 

“No her biological father ghosted us when Layla just turned three. He packed his clothes up one day and just left, no note or anything. The only contact we have is when he sends me child support, the absolute prick.”

Her words rocked Gardner to his very core, the situation hauntingly familiar all the way down in his bones. He looked at Layla intensely now, his jaw locked in anger as he remembered in his mind’s eye what happened when his parents did the same thing to him. They left him without any notice to leave him to survive on his own, too young to take care of himself or to find them. 

He finds himself overcome with immense relief that Sophie took such good care of Layla on her own. He could name two people on this Earth who couldn’t, and he admired the adoring look in her eye as she watched her daughter play. It was like looking at her for the first time, the same appreciation expanding in his lungs in one great breath the longer he gazed at the woman next to him. Sophie Galloway was a kind person, and he wasn’t just saying that as her mail carrier being offered a drink in the hot Austin sun. That thought belonged to Gardner alone, and wasn’t that an interesting development? His pulse raced as he thought about his previous rule regarding civilians while he was on the job. The Galloway family inviting him into their lives was something altogether new, and if he didn’t embrace the chance he was getting to know the little family then he would regret it for a long time. The sunshine on his back and sticky fingers from holding Layla's hand felt overwhelming now as emotions roiled through him. When he finally walked away to finish his route Layla promised to color him a picture of the pretty sunset stamp that she told him about. 

It looks like Trudy might have some competition as one of the only people he talks to outside of work now.


	3. What Would Gardner Langway Do?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gardner is faced with one of his greatest fears and doesn't know what to do now that it might impact everything in his life.
> 
> TW// Anxiety attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated. I've been extremely busy with work and family but have finally found the time to work on all of my stories. Cheers!

No one tells you what to do when your life is thrown on its axis, tumbling around like the shaken baubles of a snow globe being held by an excitable child, ready to crack open at any moment. Words cut through the room all around him, striking Gardner startlingly hard. The office break room was cool as the air conditioning kicked in on such a hot day, but it only made him shiver. 

“I’m sorry everyone. I never wanted to break this news to you, but I have no choice. Effective beginning next month we have to layoff an employee from our branch. I will be interviewing everyone at random intervals and reviewing previous service performance,” Gardner’s manager said.

“Now listen here, I don’t want this to affect your work ethic in the next month. We will get through this like we always have. If you have any questions you know where to find me.”

The office was loud as everyone complained about other delivery services putting them out of jobs. As federal employees this was rarely an issue, but Amazon and UPS were fierce contenders that complicated their position in the world. It wasn’t like it used to be when everyone wrote letters and talked to their mail carriers as they walked by on their route. Strawberry and Linda were immediately up in arms, angry that their jobs could be terminated when they worked at the post office for decades. 

The question was, if their jobs were at risk after so many years of service, what did that mean for Gardner, who had only been working for the USPS for upwards of six years? He hadn’t even walked the length of the Earth once yet.

Gardner’s jaw clenched at the tension he felt manifesting in his shoulders all the way down his body. White knuckled and distressed, he swiftly walked away from the break room and stumbled outside. His chest heaved as he tried to quell the pressure he found there, each breath punctuated by thoughts racing through his mind. 

No one followed after him.

Collapsing onto his bench he hugged his satchel to his body, wishing his arms were circled around Calvin instead. His brother always knew how to bring him down from an anxiety attack; the scent of his aftershave would surround them as Gardner hugged him close, mixing with the smells of pancake batter and motor grease that Calvin lived in every day. He always smelled a bit like home.

What was he supposed to do again? Right, ok he could do this. 

Five things he could see. Bird. A caterpillar resting on a leaf. Lint on his shorts. An ant circling his shoe. A discarded pencil on the sidewalk. 

Four things he could touch. His hands. The buttons on his shirt. The rusted metal bench he was sitting on. The watch latched onto his wrist.

Three things he could hear. People in cars on their way to work. A dog barking down the street. The sound of his harsh breathing in the morning air.

Two things he could smell. Dewy grass. The maple flavoring Calvin used with breakfast that morning. 

One thing he could taste. The orange juice he drank earlier. 

He muttered the answers, breaths beginning to calm as he anchored himself in the present. Roughly scrubbing his face to push back the tears threatening to fall, he counted again backwards from ten. That would have to do for now. 

His worries refused to abate, a whisper clinging to life on the edge of his focus, but the pull of his responsibilities threw him violently into autopilot. After receiving his haul for the day Gardner walked to begin his route, the reliable sidewalk a welcome distraction. 

He held onto the strap of his satchel tightly again, grooves in the fabric grounding him in the slight pain of his grip as he began delivering mail the same as any other day; he could not deviate from his schedule whatsoever now, his job too important for him to lose.  


This attitude came to a head as he walked up to the Galloway’s yard after a brief visit to Trudy. The white picket fence separating him from Sophie felt ominous, not even the prospect of Layla’s smiling face loosening the discomfort felt beneath his ribs. His brisk steps up to their porch were tense as he prayed the girls wouldn’t show. 

As soon as he turned back to the sidewalk after depositing their mail the porch’s storm door opened, the rusted springs grating on his ears where usually they made him smile.

“Hi...Gardner...oh, um, goodbye I guess. Sorry baby, he looks like he’s too busy today. Let’s wait to see him tomorrow and you can give him your picture,” Sophie comforted her daughter.

That killed him inside. It took everything he had in him to leave, his shoes feeling heavier than anything he had ever worn. He had to keep walking. The five extra minutes ticking away on his clock felt stolen from them.

Gardner could justify himself in his head. His job was everything he had; his friends, his stamps, his familiar sidewalk and mail carrier duties, but most importantly it gave him a purpose. When he had trouble sleeping he always knew when he’d wake up that his job was waiting for him. Besides Calvin, the United States Postal Service gave him a home. If he kept telling himself that, maybe Layla’s visible disappointment would hurt a little less. They were just civilians on his route, and somehow that lie to himself hurt more than anything else.

It wasn’t often that Gardner befriended others, and each step he walked away from them made him hate himself a little bit more. He knew he wasn’t the only one hurting but he didn't have the state of mind at the moment to think clearly. He was never good at handling pain.

This routine of avoiding the Galloway's continued until Gardner was suddenly confronted with a crying little girl. His hurried walk back to the sidewalk one Thursday afternoon was interrupted this time by Layla. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she stared unblinkingly into Gardner’s own before running into him, hugging his legs like he would vanish into thin air if she couldn’t keep him planted on the ground. This time she didn’t ask him for a hug, the questionable possibility of him rejecting her too much to bear. His hand lightly petted her hair for a moment, at a loss of what to do for Layla when she wouldn’t say anything. His hand caught in her curls and he almost smiled at the chaotic mess atop her head. 

He knew he was just doing his job, but her sadness felt like his own. After separating herself from her favorite mail carrier Layla walked back into the house and up to her room, burying herself in her covers until she left for a sleepover that night, her picture for Gardner sitting untouched on her nightstand.

Gardner tried to move his legs and leave like he was supposed to, really he did, but the figure leaning against the door watching him rooted him to the spot. Sophie stood in front of her house and watched her mail carrier silently. This moment of hesitation on his part was the most she had seen him in a week and a half. 

She slowly walked over to him, the blank expression she wore already damning him. When her mouth opened he braced himself for the wrath of an upset mother. What she said next floored him.

“Gardner, I’m sorry, did we do something that upset you? Is-is it me? You’ve been avoiding us all week like we haven’t paid our postage fee. Did we make you uncomfortable somehow? I’m sorry, whatever we did, it’ll never happen again.”

Gardner opened and closed his mouth in distress. He never wanted to make them feel like his problems were their fault. God, he felt even worse.

“No no no no, I’m-I’m the one who’s sorry. I just... I don’t want to mess up my schedule. My boss might let me go and I can’t lose my job. I can’t. I don’t know what’ll happen if I do and then I can’t deliver the mail and…”

Before he could spiral into his anxieties Sophie’s arms were wrapped around him, her warmth seeping through his thin work shirt to stall his rambling. He almost melted at her touch, his arms going around her in return. His head tucked into the crook of her neck and he breathed her in, the closest he had been to another person in so long that it felt like the exact remedy he needed. Her fingers tangled in the slight curls at the nape of his neck as her thumb gently moved back and forth over tension she found there. He almost groaned at how good it felt.

When she finally pulled away from him Gardner almost chased her warmth with his own, missing the way she held him with such care.

“Hey, it’ll be ok alright? How about you stop by for a late dinner tonight after your shift. Layla is going to spend the night at Doris’s house and then you and I can talk some more about what’s bothering you.”

“Why are you so nice to me? After I’ve been avoiding you and making Layla cry?”

“Isn’t it simple, honey? I care about you and, God, just look at you. You look like you could collapse right on my steps any moment. You could do with a nice sit down and someone to talk to.”

Gardner couldn’t do anything but nod silently in assent to her words, her term of endearment flying over his head in his haste to agree. With a tentative time for dinner set, Gardner walked away to finish his route, his heart a bit lighter than it had been ever since the disastrous staff meeting.

*****  
When he returned home to Calvin after work his brother was already getting dinner prepared. He was making pasta and Gardner’s mouth watered at how good it smelled in the kitchen. 

“Hiya buddy. How was work today?” Calvin chirped over the stove, homemade sauce simmering in a pan he attentively stirred every few moments.

“Work was fine, like usual. Well, no not like usual at all I guess. It’s hard to say. Sophie invited me to dinner tonight so you’ll have to save me some leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Sorry for missing out,” Gardner sighed, words bubbling on the tip of his tongue that he didn’t know how to say.

“That’s great! I mean, that’s fine I can put some away for you. Are the girls alright?”

Calvin knew about Sophie and Layla. How could he not when Gardner walked around with a skip in his step for two straight days after he met them? He’d ask little tidbits when Gardner would tell him about his day, and was genuinely excited to see his brother branching out. With a woman no less! 

He knew that Gardner anguished in his uncertainty and that he wasn’t handling his separation from the little family well. Over the past month they had unexpectedly found a home in his brother’s heart. He saw the passion in his eyes whenever he’s talk about the girls. Disagreeing with Gardner’s self appointed exile, Calvin hoped that maybe things would change back to the way they were before now that Sophie could talk some sense into him. Maybe she could succeed where he and Trudy couldn't.

He missed his brother’s smile.


End file.
